Dual Flames
by xxSirexx
Summary: A series of One-Shots and drabbles with various prompts and ratings... x27 - Xanxus x Tsuna
1. Furious

Before we get started, I wanted to remind everyone I have not written anything in a while. I just haven't felt inspired. Therefore my other two fics (not KHR related) are on a permanent hiatus until I feel like producing good stuff for them again. Now I have never done a one-shot/drabble thing like this before. It will not be updated frequently, only when I have the time and inspiration to do so. The rating may change depending on how graphic I feel like getting as I continue on here. Please do not flame either if you do not like boy x boy pairings either. Now... Please feel free to enjoy!

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**Series:** Katekyo Hitman Reborn  
**Pairing:** X27 – Xanxus x Tsuna  
**Prompt:** Furious  
**Rating:** PG 13  
**Word Count:** 1,500 ish?  
**Warnings:** Maybe a swear word and hinting at sex  
**Author Notes:** First time writing KHR at all, let alone some X27. I haven't written anything at all in almost a year, so please be gentle. I might be out of practice.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Someone may be able to control their movements and various quirks, manipulating them to said person's own advantage. Even facial expressions can be hidden under a mask. Even masks have holes for which the eyes are to peer through. They cannot be hidden or manipulated – for there is no muscle to control. The eyes are crystal clear glass and are free, or cursed, to be able to display the emotions that threaten to bubble to the surface. This view may be obstructed in some places, but there is always a moment of clarity…

Xanxus knew this all too well. He had seen the fear or worry in the eyes of his victims as he and the rest of the Varia completed their missions in the past. Many times he could see which of the men that were slain by his team, and sometimes even himself, cowards and then which were noble. Xanxus disliked the weak ones, showing their remorse and whatnot so easily. The leader took advantage of such things, going so far as to predict movements from his targets before they fell in a pool of their own blood. It was for this reason that he had worked especially hard over the years to have an unreadable expression forever etched into his own features. To be like this meant that no one would be able to play him based on his emotions.

Yet he wasn't able to hide everything. Xanxus was a victim to fits of rage. It was in these moments that everything spilled through, enhanced by those radiant eyes of crimson. Wrath… Fury… These were his sins, his weakness. Though the man had long ago taken these and bent them to his will through his Dying Will Flame. The Varia leader was a forced to be reckoned with in normal conditions, but he was calamity waiting to happen once his blood started pumping. He was an uncontrollable force, continuing his assault until satiated.

He would yell and scream. His voice would echo the different hallways and make others cringe. Xanxus' infamous fits would make the entire estate on edge, and repair bills rise. The man would throw things, no matter the price. Even his own team would be wary of their actions, for the slightest thing would set their boss off. They didn't want to add any fuel to the fire and prolong the festering, seething rage that was Xanxus. His wrath, much like his flame, could continue on growing and become like a fire spreading through a forest: unstoppable. Those ruby eyes, when rage consumed them, could strike fear into anyone's heart. He enjoyed that fearful expression in his enemies' eyes when his temperament was in this state.

This was a reason why he took delight in his battle with Tsuna those many years ago. That boy was an open book. He hid nothing from anyone. Immediately the Varia leader knew that it was he that rightfully deserved the title of the Tenth Boss. A boss shouldn't be so weak as to let himself be so vulnerable. Tsuna was the polar opposite of himself in every way. He had been trained to kill; this boy had lived an easy life safe from all harm. Xanxus was a well-built man, a soldier through and through. Tsuna was a slender teenager, lean and completely lacking in any sort of athletic ability. It was Xanxus that was fairly decent in tactics. Tsuna could barely pass his classes at school. He had every edge that this little boy did not. The leader was the one to strike fear into people's hearts, while this boy just cowered and whined to Reborn about the safety of his friends and not wanting to participate. How could this child even remotely be suited for the role that he didn't even want?

Though it was Xanxus who had lost in the end of the ring battles, having to submit everything; He had to give up his desire. He had lost to those eyes of the next mafia boss. Much like his own demeanor underwent a change, so had Tsuna. The moment that the boy had switched into Hyper Dying Will mode, everything shifted. His movements were calculated, not random. This boy with the brown hair had become an immovable object, an iron-clad wall emitting around his soul. Nothing could shake his core, or if it had no one would be able to tell. Those eyes, so normally full of life and whatever Tsuna was feeling at the moment all but vanished, fading into those brilliant orange hues that betrayed nothing. They were the color of fire, but as cold and ruthless as ice.

When two fires connect, it releases a devastating force. It makes the flames twice as hard to put out in the end. Though the brighter and hotter a fire burns, the quicker it is to die out. One can be burned by flame and instantly tell that they had been injured. Someone can tell when the flames have died down enough to approach it. This was Xanxus.

It took him a few years observing the child to understand Tsuna. When he would get mad, he would kick and flail around just like anyone would. His guardians didn't seem to fear him in the least. This confused Xanxus greatly, irritating him to no end. He personally had seen what the new boss was capable of doing, how dangerous this child really was. Yet no one rightfully chose to be respectful, not that Xanxus was one to talk in the least.

All the confusion died one night when he finally experienced Tsuna's true wrath. His guardians had been fighting amongst each other, the Varia only making matters worse. All of the sudden Xanxus, who had wanted no part in the squabbling at all, felt the hairs on his neck rise. His crimson orbs immediately settled on the Tenth, brows rising slightly. The young man, for he really couldn't have been called a child at this point, was silent. There was no kicking, no flailing, nothing. When he stood, all eyes fell on him. Everything simply went as quiet as the grave. A chill even descended upon the room and Xanxus could have sworn that he felt the slight prickling of goose bumps forming on his flesh. Tsuna's eyes appeared to be very much the same as that time that he fought Xanxus, cold and emotionless. With a simple action, the whole room was his stage.

Tsuna spoke to them all then. His voice didn't waver with bits of emotion lacing his words. Far from it. They were hard and almost monotone. The Tenth didn't yell, didn't scream. He merely spoke, almost to the point of were Xanxus would have to strain to be able to hear everything that the young man had to say. Yet everyone heard him perfectly. Once done with his little berating speech, he just left. Xanxus's eyes, widened, followed his boss as he left, leaving a stunned room in his wake. He off-handedly heard one of the guardians comment about "Jyuudaime being furious" with all of them. Everything clicked together in the Varia leader's head then. He now understood that once brat.

Ice is just as dangerous as fire, but in a different light. The cold service can be transparent; showing what is on the other side, but unmoving. It doesn't consume anything or feed off of anything to be, to exist. Ice doesn't even really grow, but it can spread. Freezing is a slow process, starting from the outside in until the object is completely still. Thawing is also like this, the core remaining cold the longest. When one is harmed by the cold, it cannot be felt. They may be able to see the affects that it has, but cannot feel the process happening. One cannot even really approach ice, for even the cold water left behind in the melting process is cold to the touch. It takes time for the waters to warm. This is Tsuna's true wrath.

This was very much the case. None of the guardians, or anyone else for that matter, approached Tsuna for days, or if they did then they acted as if they were treading on thin ice. It didn't matter how much the little boss reverted back into his normal, half dazed self. Perhaps it was in fear of getting that cold glance again, hiding everything behind those orange orbs.

Xanxus and Tsuna were opposites in every way imaginable. This was why the man couldn't understand the younger male and loathed him from his every fiber of existence. Yet it was also what drew the violent leader of the Varia to the compassionate Vongola boss.

It was an argument that first caused the sudden attack of lips against each other. Xanxus or Tsuna didn't know who had initiated the contact in the first place. Nor were they able to remember what had first spurred the little fight to begin with. From there it only escalated into a rather heated situation. Both men were a mere tangle of limbs and bed sheets in the hours following. Clothes had been ripped and torn, discarded in that office that was connected to Tsuna's room.

Fire and ice are opposites of each other. One gives off heat and the other sucks heat away. Fire cannot move past ice and ice can be undone by flame. While fire can melt away at ice, the water that results from this action also prevents the fire from growing and may very well put it out in the process if not attended to. Fire and ice… Ice and fire… They undo each other. This is Xanxus and Tsuna together.

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Please feel free to review!~


	2. Lessons

**Pairing:** X27 – Xanxus x Tsuna  
**Prompt:** Lessons  
**Rating:** PG 13  
**Word Count:** 1500+  
**Warnings:** Character death? :D; Spoilers for recent chapters.  
**Author Notes:** Another fiction… Another sort of X27… I really need to get on the ball about writing for other series… Like SoulEater (GIRIJASU). This is set in the current arc, meaning the future. Not sure if I liked this one or not… Just an idea that popped into my head from recent chapters. Read at your own discretion.

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He hadn't traveled to go to the funeral. There really wasn't much point in going to view an empty shell that the soul had left behind days ago. His team carried on like nothing had happened; that life was to continue forward despite any inner turmoil, even if there was any to begin with, that their leader was going through. After all, they had missions to complete and another mafia family to stop. Xanxus had more important matters to deal with than the dead of the head of the Vongola. He had a task to do and he had to force all else aside to get it done. His battle was here in Italy. The mind behind those crimson eyes had to remain here and not wander to the one now adorned in white flowers in some hidden location even unknown to him.

Staring at the two men floating in the air before him, he realized this. There was pent up underlying rage surged through his veins. Though not one bit of it showed on his features, the man appearing to be calm and collected while he remained in that chair. Bits and pieces of the building lie scattered everywhere, some of it blown to pieces by their foes. He cared not about the chaos and disaster that rested on either side of him. Xanxus sat there, boots propped up on the desk, his box weapon ahead of him. Let those fools keep talking. They were weak. All his opponents had been weak, except for one.

"What you want is to be the boss of Vongola right!?" One of them screeched, Xanxus didn't know or care which one. Begging was a sign of how weak and desperate he was…

Sawada Tsunayoshi… That would be a name that would forever haunt his life. He had been beaten by that child so many years ago. Looking back at that, he didn't regret it. Xanxus had taken a while to come around after his defeat. Yet even after all that had passed… The boy welcomed them with open, yet careful arms. He had been terribly forgiving to the point that Xanxus almost gave Tsunayoshi a good thrashing. Yet he hadn't dared. At that time, after a few years, the brunette had been surrounded by his guardians. He was no longer Sawada Tsunayoshi of Japan standing before him. The child was taking his role as head of the Vongola and therefore untouchable to Xanxus. The child, no, man at that time had smiled and offered his hand. Xanxus sneered and walked off without another word. Just because he was accepted by the head of their family didn't mean that he had to accept the brat back.

"It's obvious you hate him more than anything!"

His eyes narrowed. Hate Tsunayoshi more than anything? If that is what the world wanted to believe, then so be it. Xanxus didn't have the need more desire to explain it to this begging little worm. In all actuality the man with the flames so much like the second leader of the Vongola hadn't had the time to go to Japan for the funeral of his deceased boss. There was only an announcement of the man's passing and nothing more. Xanxus hadn't a clue about any other arrangements before being shoved into this mission and war. At that time he had felt a searing pain that, just as everything else, turned to rage. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Varia, the reason he had locked himself up was simply to take his frustration out on the building and not his members. It's not that he cared about if he ended their miserable lives, but it would have just been more work for him if his numbers had been down. Inconvenient if anything…

They had been the biggest secret. The two didn't know when it happened or why it did. Tsunayoshi, for it was always Tsunayoshi, merely said that his mother told him that "love has an odd way of showing itself." Xanxus would scoff and say that "it makes people into fools." Yet, every time that their paths crossed in the main house, glances wouldn't be missed. The slight brush of fingertips as paperwork was exchanged sent an electrical charge through his system. Words were hardly ever passed each other's lips; there needn't be any. Tsunayoshi merely had his ways of knowing and that worked out just fine for the Varia leader. He wasn't a soft and gentle man, which his boss didn't seem to mind. Their encounters were more like battles, raging and only dying after a violent fit, only to smolder and last until another long was added.

His attention returned back to the shit that poured from the mouth of the other man, snapping out of his little reverie. The way he spoke made his blood boil. Defeat the young Sawada Tsunayoshi? Take Vongola for himself? This idiot had to be joking. There was no way that Xanxus would turn tail. Xanxus wouldn't let this priss Byakuran throw a collar onto him like some leashed mutt. The promise for power and the price of betrayal… After what he had personally lost? Xanxus now was done listening to this. It had been boring and monotone to his ears before, but that was the last straw. "You fucking scumbag…"

The words flowed out of his mouth without really much thought. He was furious, though his face betrayed none of it. Xanxus' own personal flame flowed into his gun, a slight glow forming around his hand. Speak ill about the Vongola and prepare to die. Speak ill about his person and you will die. That was his thought at the moment. He didn't want the Vongola like this and not through underhanded means. Not anymore. Xanxus, if anything, wanted the family to be strong. Being weak was worthless. Meaningless. He hadn't been able to do a damned thing to stop this war from happening. Pitiful. Unable to protect his own boss from the younger man's demise. All of his rage flowed into his gun. His words were sincere, laced with hidden and perhaps repressed emotions other than rage. Scumbags like the one before him couldn't understand, just like he didn't ten years ago.

"We, the Vongola, are always one!" And just as simple as that, Xanxus pulled the trigger.

When they had all met up later, those crimson eyes were still hidden behind dark hair and lashed. His expression was rather stoic, like he hadn't just committed overkill on one that really didn't need that amount of strength to defeat. Xanxus paid little to no attention to the announcement. Let Squalo or one of the other maggots under his command listen to fine details like that. He didn't care. His attention was elsewhere… More on memories of heated bodies pressed against each other in a battle for dominance. The only distraction provided was the loud obnoxious voice of the man with that absurdly long hair. Eyelids opened, red orbs looking at his second in command. He had made contact with the group of brats. Without thinking he chucked some debris onto Squalo's head. Ingoring the protest, he spoke to that group.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…"

No… He spoke to his Tsunayoshi. Wrong again. This boy was not his. The boy was weak and frail. What was his was the man that the boy would, and should, someday become.

"Have you gotten rid of your naïve feelings?"

Naïve… He had always been so naïve. So trusting… His heart had been so big and so willing to allow anyone and everyone come near him. His Tsunayoshi was a gentle person; a strong, yet, compassionate person with abundant understanding. It was no surprise that so many became loyal to him, Xanxus himself included. Any other time, it would be endearing. However, this was no time for the relaxed, no-war, no-killing if possible style that the boy had. This boy needed to become the man that would lead the Vongola and have this family be the strongest out of them all. Xanxus needed the boy to cast off any of that child-like foolishness that the crimson-eyed man knew he harbored in his heart. There was no room for uncertainty, only action. There could be no gentleness, only ruthlessness. This had to end. It could not be allowed to drag on. Perhaps then the boy would change… Perhaps then he would not, in ten years die… Wouldn't leave --

Xanxus frowned. It was most unbecoming and wouldn't change the here and now. "The Vongola in ten days will be the strongest! You will prove it!"

He cut off the connection and also ignored Squalo being restrained behind his chair. Out of his entire life, he had never shown so much faith in his boss or his family. Xanxus had never understood why it was necessary to push, prod, and care about those under or even above him. He thought that only number one mattered, only himself mattered. As long as he was the strongest, he and he alone, that it would be all right. Yet he knew it was wrong. He now understood was it was like to have pride for one's family, for one's leader.

It only took him loosing it all to learn this lesson.


	3. Reconciliation

**Series:** Katekyo Hitman Reborn  
**Pairing:** X27 – Xanxus x Tsuna  
**Prompt:** Reconciliation  
**Rating:** PG 13  
**Word Count:** 3600+  
**Warnings:** None really… Boy loving?  
**Author Notes:** On a roll recently, huh? For some reason I was inspired to write from Tsuna's angle since I did one from Xaxnus'… I cannot really say what was going through my head as I wrote this and am not even sure if it turned out that great in the long run... Might have taken a perfectly good idea and ruined it too. Oh well. Enjoy.

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The first night that he woke up only to find himself tucked safely in his bed had been greeted with relief mixed in with shock. At first he really didn't believe that he was back. For all he knew it could have been a dream or an illusion given by the enemy to trick them all into a sense of security. However, the box weapon that had been granted to him from his future self was nowhere in sight. Tsuna patted himself down fully before he acknowledged that the little sky Vongola box was not on his person or anywhere nearby him. In all actuality, he didn't know what that meant… The brunette could only hope that the battle was finally over for him and his friends…

His mind's eye displayed the last few days his friends and he had spent in the future. Flames were lighting up the skies in that battle. Tsuna himself was taking on Byakuran while the others sought to the other subordinates of the Millfore. They had figured out what the Vongola boxes were capable of and were putting them to use. His family was worn out, tired. It had been the toughest battle that any of them had faced. Lal Mirch was unable to participate due to her declining health. Reborn stayed away from the battlefield, yet managed to give proper instructions. Even Irie-kun and Spanner were of help. Xanxus had made an appearance as well as the rest of the Vaira.

They were all fighting together and willing to die together. All for the sake of what had to be done; to stop Byakuran. Tsuna didn't stop to think about which of his family members, the ones he knew personally and those that he did not, were falling and possibly dying at the opposing faction's hands. This was war and the child had to push aside everything for their sake. It wasn't about him getting home anymore. This battle was about getting everyone back safe and protecting that which Byakuran desired to dispose of.

Immediately Tsuna got out of his bed with renewed vigor. He flew down the stairs and to the phone. The boy didn't know how their future selves would handle the new reality presented to them, but he needed to make sure that they were safe in this time. Tsuna desperately needed to know who was with him and who was not—it was his responsibility. If he had failed to bring back just one of them with him… Then he had failed.

Two weeks… That was all the time that had passed since he was able to get in touch with everyone. All of his friends had returned. Some had more injuries than others, but the fact that they were here and not there, or possibly worse, was enough to soothe Tsuna's nerves a little. Yet, despite the time that had passed, the little mafia boss to be was still feeling very off for himself. The whole experience for him had been so surreal. How was he supposed to adjust back to living like a child in this time? How could he be expected to walk around and act like what happened then didn't have an effect on the "he" that existed now? Something inside of him had changed in such a short time… It was like he was a different person at the moment. He had lost something along the way and he wasn't sure how to get it back.

Tsuna wasn't the innocent child that he had been before this recent disaster. Something so very basic was lost; he had left it behind ten years into the future. He wasn't sure what it was; couldn't put his finger on it at all. Tsuna had seen death and in some cases had been the one to administer it. The teenager had been through a great deal because of that little war. In a sense he had been a tool of the battle… It was truly a series of events that would forever be burned into his soul.

No one else seemed to really change because of it. Gokudera still fawned over Tsuna like some loyal puppy. Yamamoto, though no longer fooled that this was all just a game, was still the same smiling athlete that he had always been. The boys were still constantly at his side, chatting and arguing like all young boys do. Tsuna would smile and laugh along with them, still trying to keep the Italian boy from blowing something up out of a fit of rage. Yet he, himself, wasn't the same. He wondered if the others were acting, but something inside of him doubted this. Yamamoto was truly too good natured to keep something inside bottled up and Gokudera really wore most of his emotions on his sleeve. Instead Tsuna decided to keep on acting like everything was fine, that he was just tired. It seemed like an acceptable excuse, though the bomber insisted that "Jyuudaime needs more sleep!"

Kyoko and Haru didn't change either, but Tsuna supposed that was because they all had worked so hard to keep them sheltered from the mess. They seemed to have a deeper bond, one that Tsuna was all right with. Ryohei was the same as ever as well. He hadn't been phased by current events (if you could call them current) at all. Perhaps that was due to the fact that he had been brought in at the last moment out of them all. Hibari was as aloof as usual, but Tsuna had expected that. The older boy was an independent individual, floating and out when he felt like it. No way would he let anyone know what was going on in his head.

The people that he started to see more of were Chrome and Irie. She started to hang around the house, as well as the other girls, more. It was true that Mukuro's vessel wasn't accustomed to kindness, but she showed up more and more frequently for all the antics of the Sawada household. Though immediately all of them sought out Irie. He was frightened at first, but eventually came around slowly. It was something that Tsuna was proud of when he asked Irie to join the family for the second time. Something just felt right now… Also… The scene of the girls all chattering, Gokudera's sister included, made him smile. It was a soft one, and he wasn't sure if he knew how to smile like he once did. At least this one generally hit his heart and he could feel the warmth that spread throughout his entire system. If there was one thing that they were doing right, it was this. When he looked around and saw them all together, the rare thing that it was, he was really happy again. Yet there was a striking pain that also hit his heart at the sight.

No one else might have noticed this, but Reborn sure did. Tsuna was sure that the infant had noticed; nothing slipped past that hitman. However, the young one said nothing to Tsuna at all. He merely let the boy carry on in the manner that he was for quite some time. After the first year, Tsuna began to wonder what Reborn was up to. The training had relaxed a bit, but not by much. Perhaps it was due to Tsuna not putting up as much of a fight against it as he once did. Maybe it was because Reborn accepted the fact that Tsuna was taking on the burden of the family and smiling for their sake, as he should.

At least that's what he thought until, two years after the incident, he found plane tickets bound for Italy settling on his desk. Big brown eyes looked down at his "tutor" questioningly.

"Use your head, No-good Tusna!" Reborn chided, hitting the boy on the head. "You will be living there someday. It's only good that you and the Guardians take a trip there. Better get ready. Your flight leaves in ten minutes and everyone is ready and waiting at the airport!"

"WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" Tsuna shrieked, darting around his room to gather the proper amount of clothing to go on the trip, until he was hit again.

"Just go. Your clothing will be provided when you get there."

"Aren't you coming with us?" he asked, rubbing a cheek.

"I have things here I have to do in preparation for something special for when my worst student gets back. You'll be fine at the headquarters. Take your gloves and the dying will pills. I expect you to continue your training!"

"R-right!" the young boss muttered, grabbing said items and darting out the door.

The plane right was long as was the car ride to the relatively remote area to the Vongola Headquarters. All of the Guardians as well as Tsuna were surprised to be greeted by a very peeved looking Xanxus and frightened subordinates. Without another word, the underlings picked up any and all bags, quickly escorting everyone to where they would be staying; all but Tsuna. Brown eyes met heated crimson and neither one backed down while they continued to stare for what seemed like minutes. The hue in those red orbs changed after about ten minutes of standing there. They seemed almost impressed instead of angry, as they usually were.

"Follow me, Sawada, and don't do anything to piss me off," he grunted and took off, Tsuna following behind silently.

The following days went by rather slowly. There were not that many fights breaking out among the members of the two different factions themselves, surprisingly. Yet Tsuna had distanced himself from the rest. He told them it was because he was off training and didn't want anyone to get hurt from a X-Burner or something of the like. All the meanwhile he was just sitting up in one of the trees, overlooking the estate. He didn't know how to handle all of this anymore. Tsuna felt sort of numb.

"The hell are you doing up there, runt?" a grunt voice called to him from below.

"X-Xansus!?" Tsuna yelped in surprised and nearly fell off of his branch. Out of everyone, he didn't expect the Varia leader to come looking for him. Xanxus HATED Tsuna.

"I'm not going to repeat myself. Get the fuck down. I hate having to look up to you."

With that, the younger male slipped out of the tree and onto the blanket of grass below. His eyes looked up and clashed with blood red. Tsuna then noticed that Xanxus' hair was growing out. It was starting to look similar to that of what he managed to see of Xanxus of ten years later. Though something was different and he just couldn't put his finger on that either.

"Are you gonna answer or look like an idiot, Sawada?" the man growled out.

"I was taking a break from training," Tsuna replied smoothly, no emotion betraying his tone.

"Sure as hell could have fooled me. You've been up there for hours, retard."

Brown eyes narrowed a little at the remark. "You were watching?"

"I'm not a fucking idiot, you runt," Xanxus spat out. "You've been acting like some angsty teenage brat the entire time you're been here. I'm not surprised your idiot guardians didn't realize this shitty attitude you've grown. Personally… I think it's a hellova lot better than that ignorant brat mentality you had a few years ago."

"Angsty teenager? I don't know what you're talking about," Tsuna said, going to move past the older man.

A hand on his shoulder with a firm grip stopped him. Those orbs of crimson were looking at him from the corner of Xanxs' eyes. Tsuna frowned. "Can I go now?"

"Make me."

"I don't feel up to this, Xaxnus!"

There was a deep chuckle from the Varia leader's throat. "You don't have a choice, Sawada. You're weaker than what I remember. How the hell do you expect to run this family when you can't even run yourself?"

That did it. Without another word, Tsuna suddenly had his gloves on and dying will flame burning bright. His fist connected with a scarred jaw and he felt a wave of relief course through his system. Xanxus flew back, crashing into one of the trees nearby. He got to his feet, wiping the blood dribbling from his jaw. The man was grinning, out of all things. Xanxus donned his trademark guns, the weapons glowing slightly from being fed the Flames of Rage. It looked like he had been waiting for a fight to break out. Well if he wanted a fight, Tsuna was definitely in the mood to give one right now. In the next instant, the boy found himself hurling another fist at his former enemy, not willing to yield.

Both males started giving it all they had at each other. Of course, had Tsuna wanted to use the X-Burner, that would have ended the battle right there. What kept him from doing so was the simple fact that Xanxus was considered family. The boy wouldn't resort to that. He might have killed, but he refused to kill his own. That didn't mean he couldn't beat the living crap out of the other guy though. He could feel all his pent up frustrations go into his blows and he wondered if he was really in hyper mode for a moment there. Xanxus wasn't exactly being gentle either. He launched barrage after barrage of those destructive bullets right at the would-be boss.

"Is that all you got!? I thought you would have gotten stronger these two years!" Xanxus roared at the boy. "Show me what you can do Sawada! Have you been sitting on your lazy ass ever since our battle!?"

If he could have felt rage, Tsuna would have been full of it at the moment. How dare that man say something like that? Xanxus hadn't gone through what he had! There was no way that this brute of a man could relate! Tsuna might have frowned, but there was only a twitch of a brow as he splayed his arms out. He wouldn't hit the Varia leader, but he wanted to scare him away from saying such things. His regular flame burned behind him and his gloves shifted. A white flame began to form at the other hand.

Xanxus didn't look all that impressed. He aimed his guns behind him and shot out at Tsuna, much to the boy's surprise. The young Vongola hadn't quite the control to stop the thing mid-go yet. It was something he was working on. Xaxnus flipped one of his pistols around and fired right back with everything he had. That's when Tsuna's intuition of what it was Xanxus was really doing kicked in. yet it was too late to pull back now. When the two flames collided it resulted in an explosion that encompassed both fighters involved. Both hit the ground hard and with burning clothes as well as charred skin in places. Xanxus didn't move from his crater all that much as Tsuna's hyper mode faded, making his way over to the other man.

Tsuna had pinpricks of tears in his eyes. Instead of checking to make sure the other was all right, he started throwing punches into that dirtied chest. Tears soon mixed in with the punches and were mingled in with grunts. Xanxus merely sat up after a bit, hacking up blood but he did not thing to stop Tsuna's onslaught nor did he attempt to fight back. He just sat there and took it which only frustrated Tsuna more. Soon the tears turned into sobbing and the younger man just found himself clinging onto that fabric, sobbing. Once again Xanxus did nothing. He merely permitted the soon to be tenth boss to just cry and let everything out; all the hurt, frustration, pain, guilt, and regret that had been plaguing the younger male's heart for the past two years. The older of the two allowed for Tsuna to vent and mourn the innocence that had been lost two years ago and from a time eight years from now.

When all had ceased, Tsunayoshi rubbed his eyes, which were too dry to produce any more tears, and looked up at Xanxus. "Thank you, Xanxus."

"Whatever runt," he said with a roll of his eyes, coughing once more. "I don't know what the fuck happened when you went missing for all that time and I don't care. Whether I like it or not is shit. You're going to be in charge and I don't want someone who can barely keep their shit together being my boss, got that?"

Tsuna blinked a few times then smiled. It was his first true smile that reached his eyes in a long time. "Right!"

"Tch. Let's get back before someone starts to think that we've killed each other in that blast…"

"O-oh! I totally forgot about --"

"I figured as much. Now get up dammit. You're not a lightweight anymore, Sawada," Xanxus barked.

"Ack! Sorry!"

"And don't goddamn apologize!"

* * *

Xanxus groaned and growled as his team reported in. So what was it, was it? Their targets had been so weak! There were barely the numbers or the power to actually pose a threat to the Vongola! Why didn't his "boss" send one of the guardians or other subordinates to take care of it!? The Varia weren't meant to take shit easy missions like this! Without another word, he swiped the manila folder from a rather startled Squalo and stormed down the hallways. He finally had enough of these stupid little missions and was going to let the Decimo know exactly how he felt about it.

The man kicked the door in and slammed the folder on the desk, cutting off the pen that was about to sign a name. Slowly, but surely, and with a sigh, a much older Sawada Tsunayoshi raised his head from looking down at that sheet of paper. His brown eyes, which had calmed in the past years with age and wisdom, looked up into Xanxus' own heated eyes with an almost exasperated look. Tsuna sighed and settled back in his leather chair. "Yes, Xanxus?"

"I've had enough of these shitty missions that don't even use half of our talents!" he snarled.

"What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Give them to someone else! These dealings with such a small mafia family are nothing! There's nothing that gives the Vongola a reason to come after them! They're no threat! Their numbers have been low and they aren't even fucking a challenge at all! We found the main hide out all too easily!" Xaxnus roared.

"You found their headquarters?" Tsuna said, suddenly interested.

"Fucking listen to me, Tsunayoshi! I swear if you give us another fucking moronic mission like --"

"Xanxus," the Decimo breathed and the man froze, words caught in his throat. Tsuna's eyes had taken THAT hue and spoke more than anything. The Varia leader grumbled and took a seat across from the head of the Vongola.

"Yeah," he muttered. "We found it."

"Good. I want you to go personally with your team and their strongest men and take them down. I don't want anyone to be able to leave that facility again," the brunette stated, rising out of his chair and circling his desk towards Xanxus.

A black eyebrow rose in question. "Normally I wouldn't give a damn about asking, but I am. Why the hell are you so fucking determined to get rid of this family? They aren't anything special."

The man felt the Vongola's boss slip onto his lap. Tsuna made his leaner body more comfortable and Xanxus found his hand at the other's hip immediately. It was a habit that he had gotten into shortly after the two had started spending so many nights together. In all actuality, he didn't want to share this brat that had wormed his way through his rough exterior with anyone else. No one knew, of course, and Xanxus wanted it that way. He would keep the Decimo all to himself and no one else would get the chance. No one would take away what was now his after all these years.

"I thought you would approve of me being a little ruthless, Xanxus," Tusna teased, hooking his arms around the other's neck.

"Tch. I do!" Xanxus retorted. "But it takes you such a damned long time to finally declare war or to go into battle! I wanna know what the hell is so different this time, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna sighed and got a rather haunted look in those chocolate eyes of his. As soon as it had appeared, Xanxus didn't get a lot of time to register it. A pair of soft lips collided with his own and the man soon found himself suddenly wanting more of this aggressive Tsuna. His other arm hooked around the small of the other's back as he returned the kiss rather heatedly. Xanxus slipped his tongue into a willing mouth, running the muscle through the familiar territory. Though it was short-lived; as the younger male pulled away, a thin trail of saliva still connecting them.

"Sometimes, Xanxus," Tusna said, "We need to get rid of a potential threat before it becomes one. Can you just trust me on this? I don't want to do it but I have no choice… Many people could die if we don't take care of this now…"

Xanxus snorted as the other slid off his lap. He would so be back to ravage the brat later for kissing him like that and then going right back to work. It would have to wait though until he got done with this mission. Xanxus was going to take this form of frustration out on his targets. Oh yes… None of them were going to be coming out alive. The Varia leader merely nodded at Tsuna and Tsuna nodded back in like. No words needed to be said as Xanxus picked up that folder and headed out of the office.

"The Millfore, huh? Those poor bastards won't know what hit them…"


End file.
